A former Ensign staffer provided damaging testimony to the Senate Ethics Committee. | AP photo
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That person could be either Ensign or Hampton, or even both men. Hampton was indicted in March by the Justice Department on seven counts of violating the one-year lobbying ban, and Lopez’s statements to the Ethics Committee make him a likely witness against Hampton, said the legal experts.

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Justice officials also had no comment on any investigation of Ensign or his parents, who gave $96,000 to Doug and Cindy Hampton in April 2008, when they left Ensign’s payroll. Special counsel Carol Elder Bruce stated in her May 11 report that Michael and Sharon Ensign made “misleading and potentially false statements” to the FEC about the payment.

By raising potential criminal allegations against his parents, the Ethics Committee may have provided Justice with another legal weapon to use against Ensign as it continues to investigate his actions. “It puts pressure on the defendant to plead,” Brand said of a strategy of going after Ensign’s parents.

The Ethics Committee will turn over to Justice for review nearly 500,000 pages of documents, as well as interviews and depositions from dozens of witnesses gathered during its 22-month probe. The full Senate will have to vote in favor of letting Justice use any of those materials to indict Ensign.

Ensign may be able to block some of that information from being used against him in a criminal case under a constitutional privilege covering lawmakers known as the “Speech or Debate Clause.” But the full extent of that privilege is currently being challenged in a corruption case involving former Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.).

For Lopez, the path from Ensign aide to potential witness against the former senator was long. A native of Reno, Nev., Lopez started working for then-Rep.Ensign in 1995 as a legislative aide. Lopez toiled on Ensign’s unsuccessful challenge of Democratic Sen. Harry Reid in 1998. When Ensign won his Senate seat in 2000, Lopez rejoined his office, rising to chief of staff in 2006 when Ensign was elected chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Despite the years he spent working for Ensign, Lopez told Senate investigators their relationship was only “an inch deep and a mile wide.” Lopez testified that Ensign balked at making him his top aide, preferring “the company of ‘alpha males’ as his confidantes and friends.”

Ensign’s affair with Cindy Hampton began in December 2007 and lasted nine months. Doug Hampton and Darlene Ensign, the senator’s wife, quickly found out about the relationship, but Lopez told investigators he didn’t know about it until late on June 15, 2009, the night before Ensign went public about the affair.

Readers' Comments (15)

Tom Coburn Denies Negotiating Cash Payout For John Ensign's Mistress And Her Husband

If the Senate Ethics Committee's report on the ethics scandals of former Sen. John Ensign were a movie, the Nevada Republican would no doubt be the star -- but Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) would get second billing.

Coburn's role as an intermediary between his friend and former roommate Ensign and Doug Hampton, the husband of the woman Ensign was having an affair with, has been pretty well established. Coburn has denied playing the role of negotiator over the amount of money Ensign should pay the Hamptons.

But other people involved told investigators say Coburn, whose name is mentioned 46 times in the Ethics Committee's report, played a pretty crucial role. And the report indicates that Coburn might not have given investigators the whole story.

One specific point of contention: whether Coburn talked to Sen. Ensign's father Michael Ensign. No doubt, says Tim Coe, a long-time spiritual adviser for Ensign:

Ensign did nothing wrong. Like Tom Delay, the democrat party uses power to destory their political oponents. Ensign received religious counseling and worked everything out with God. The goverment has no right to drege up the past.

According to Mr. Coe's detailed and specific recollection, a call between Senator Coburn and Michael Ensign "absolutely" occurred. Michael Ensign stated that he appreciated the call, and "he'd handle it."

After that call, Ensign called Coe and cursed him out, telling him he had no right to contact his father, according to Coe. Ensign hung up before he could respond. But Coburn says that call never happened.

Senator Coburn denied speaking with Michael Ensign after he was informed about the affair. Michael Ensign did not recall whether a call with Senator Coburn had taken place, but in response to a question from the Special Counsel, Michael Ensign allowed as how the call may have taken place.

Another potential problem for Coburn -- his role in negotiating a "gift" for the Hamptons from Ensign's parents, which the Senator referred to as a "severance" payment until a lawyer told him that wasn't a good idea. The Ethics Committee found that payout was in violation of campaign finance laws.

Politico you did this story in 2009 and yet no follow up with the now maybe I will run Santorum?

Rick Santorum alerted Sen. John Ensign in 2009 that the husband of Ensign's mistress wanted to go public with the affair that ultimately ended the Nevada Republican's Senate career, according to a Senate ethics committee report released Thursday.

After Doug Hampton — then a top Ensign aide whose wife was involved with the senator — emailed Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly seeking a meeting to discuss the affair, Hampton also shared the email with Santorum seeking his help. Santorum quickly passed the email onto Ensign, according to the ethics committee report.

It wasn't immediately clear why Hampton sought help from Santorum, a former Senate colleague of Ensign's. Hampton had previously suggested that Santorum got wind of his email to Kelly by virtue of his position at Fox News, but the ethics report says Hampton contacted Santorum directly.

The same night that Santorum reportedly tipped him off, Ensign held an hours-long staff meeting and disclosed that he had an affair with Cynthia Hampton, which was soon followed by a public apology in Las Vegas.

Santorum is not accused of wrongdoing, and an aide to Santorum’s exploratory presidential campaign did not immediately comment. But in an interview with POLITICO in 2009 — just weeks after Ensign publicized his affair — Santorum refused to say whether he had tipped off Ensign.

"I'm not even going to dignify that question, to be honest with you," Santorum said then.

What I don't understand, how come Harry Reid another Senator from Nevada , majority leader in the Senate wasn't aware, what his fellow senator was doing in his misconduct as a senator. I would venture to say that he knew, along with a bunch of other Senators in Congress from other states.This is what I am talking about , how corrupt they all are in Washington , even passing laws exempting themselves , from any prosecution at all. They pass laws that tell us what we can do & not do, but they are exempt themselves from any of those law's forever. I have already written letters to both my Senators asking them why they can't take care of their own crap politicians in the Senate, that give them the lowest approval ratings in this country's history. I also contacted the minority Leader in the Senate, Senator McConnell , asking him why he can't keep his fellow senators in line and that this arrogant Republican Senator has the arrogance to actually think he has the power to jack people up. These people that are running this country are criminals and should be sent to the front lines and fight for this country, like our poor soldiers are doing right now. They are all nothing but arrogant & corrupt public officials who should be dealt with by locking a few of them up. . Thus sending a warning, that if their fellow Congressmen and Senators are caught like this scoundrel, who committed adultery , which brakes a moral law as well as his oath of office as a United States Senator. This whole affair just is a discusting way how Washington abuses their power and makes the taxpayers look on in embarrasment. If I was a taxpaying citizen of Nevada , & voted for this jerk i would be calling or going to his office in Nevada demanding some answers about Ensign and all his lies. If I was his wifes attorney , I would sue him , his staff & his parents , who comitted a crime for their son. They should all be locked up together in the same cell .

Let's see. The country's sliding down the shltter and THIS bullshlt is going to be the "main event" for the next few months, probably. Billions stolen from freddia and fanny by lefty hacks like Garelick and hundreds of others and everyone down there just whistles away. We have "keitholberman from manhattan" posting breathlessly like he has THE feckin SCOOP!! Wow.

Ensign is a jerkoff. He's not running again. There's no mystery here. Just an opportunity for the left and demo thieves to milk the situation and distract the people from what the REAL crimes that are happening by those involved in this administration.

Ensign did nothing wrong. Like Tom Delay, the democrat party uses power to destory their political oponents. Ensign received religious counseling and worked everything out with God. The goverment has no right to drege up the past.

Ensign is a jerkoff. He's not running again. There's no mystery here. Just an opportunity for the left and demo thieves to milk the situation and distract the people from what the REAL crimes that are happening by those involved in this administration

It's not about sex. It's about illegal payoffs to hide the affair. It's about lying to the FEC. It's about lying to Congress. Soon it will be about telling the truth to the DOJ, and then it will be about going to jail.

Since you mention it though, Ensign was one of the most vociferous in calling for Clinton's head. I guess family values only apply at election time.

"Ensign did nothing wrong. Like Tom Delay, the democrat party uses power to destory their political oponents. Ensign received religious counseling and worked everything out with God. The goverment has no right to drege up the past."

What alternate universe do you live in? It would seem the Republicans on the Ethics committee would disagree with your silly, foolish, idiotic claim. It is amusing that you would think religious counseling would make it ok to: obstruct justice, lie to investigators, destroy evidence etc etc.

And yes the government does have the right to dredge up the past. Not sure if you know this but when someone is investigated, indicted, arrested etc. it is because of something they did in the past.

I thought I told you the other day to go buy a legal dictionary. While you are at it see if you have any claims against your mother for drinking during her pregnancy.

I wonder if 'ol John Ensign thinks every intimate moment he spent with Cindy Hampton was worth it now that this **** storm is upon him.

The hubris of politicians continues to astound me.

When this is all done and over with I believe Ensign should reimburse the government for the cost of the investigation. He can ask Mom and Dad for the money. The sorry part is even if he goes to jail we STILL have to pay for his healthcare and pension.

Ensign and all his ilk around him will cling to their religion and righteousness and go on screwing their constituents after they've screwed each other's spouses. Nothing changes. I actually expect a child of any of these families will run for political office in the not too distant future.

However. There will be the oh so exciting Sharron Angle on the Senate hustings.